The Honda Pilot is the Japanese carmaker’s largest SUV and also their flagship vehicle in the country. Honda introduced this mid-size crossover in 2002, and it shares the same basic chassis layout that underpins the Odyssey and Accord. Over the past eighteen years, the Honda Pilot has gone through several makeovers, ensuring its popularity among buyers in this segment.
Armed with better safety, comfort, technology, and a more modern design, the third generation 2019 Honda Pilot seems all set to take on this ever-more competitive market. The closest rivals of the new Honda Pilot are the Mazda CX-9, Dodge Durango, Kia Sorento, and Ford Explorer.
Exterior
The 2019 Honda Pilot has moved away from its boxy design to a more contemporary one, exchanging blunt edges for curvy, aerodynamic ones. The large and wide, triple-slatted chrome grille, long and sculpted hood, broad and muscular bumper of the new Pilot visually enhances its wide, stable, and confidence stance. The stylish high-intensity headlamps with smart-looking LED daytime-running lights, along with the designer air vents at the front come together to convey a sense of sportiness.
The side profile of the new 2019 Pilot looks nice with its elegant chrome surrounds around the windows, black lower-body cladding, squared-off wheel arches, classy 20-inch alloy wheels, and a distinct window line. Around the back, the thick bumper, edgy taillights, and a roof-mounted spoiler add a sense of purpose and sportiness to an otherwise bland posterior of the Pilot.
As for some of its basic dimensions, the 2019 Honda Pilot measures 4.964 meters in length, 2.296 meters in width, 1.773 meters in height, and boasts of a 2.818-meter long wheelbase, and a large 589-liter boot.
Interior
The 2019 Honda Pilot sports a modern, spacious, and a well-made interior. The three-row, seven-seat family crossover SUV offers excellent space for its occupants plus the last row of seats isn’t too cramped either. The general design language of this cabin focuses more on practicality, friendly ergonomics, and ease of use over mind-blowing style.
Honda’s build quality and fit and finish has never been poor, and the 2019 Pilot’s interior is no exception to this. On top of these positives, the Pilot also offers cool features and conveniences such as automatic climate control, automatic HID headlights, leather upholstery, dual electric sunroofs, power front seats with heating & cooling, rear entertainment system, power tailgate, an 8-inch touch-infotainment display with navigation, and a 10-speaker premium audio system.
Standard safety kit on the new Pilot includes 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, brake assist, traction and stability control, hill-assist, blind-spot monitoring, ISOFIX anchor points and then some.
Engine and performance
Power for the 2019 Honda Pilot comes from a 3.5-liter six-cylinder engine that pushes out 280 HP and 355 Nm of torque. You can have the Pilot with just front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, the latter being standard on higher trims. Honda has equipped the new Pilot with their new 9-speed automatic transmission, which now makes it faster and more efficient than before.
Although not one of its key strengths, this seven-seat, two-ton family crossover is capable of hitting 100 km/h in 9.4 seconds, and a top speed of 175 km/h. Also, irrespective of the drivetrain configuration (FWD or AWD), the new Honda Pilot should be capable of achieving an average fuel economy figure of 11.2L/100 km.
Verdict
Prices for the 2019 Honda Pilot start at AED 119,800 for the base 2WD EX variant, while the top of the line, fully-loaded Touring trim comes in at around AED 179,650. Meanwhile, cost of insurance begins at AED 2,696 for the base vehicle, with the Pilot Touring starting at AED 4,042.
